“For Whom Does the Bell Toll?”

We are at a critical inflection point as a nation, a culture, and society. Today we face many challenges, including anemic economic growth and contentious political in-fighting. All around us, we confront misunderstood issues and capacities.

Like oxygen to iron, corrosion surfaces daily, rusting the will to fight or simply capitulate. Our values drift from altruism to hedonism. Intellectual ruin afflicts our political culture and governing class.

But fair elections provide the tool and hope to right the mistakes of the past and present. We, as citizens, have the power to recalibrate many things—if we want to do so.

As we pursue recalibration, the basic questions are:

Are we being told the truth regarding terrorism, immigration and cronyism?

Do we want our neighbors to stand on their feet through temporary support, leading to gainful long-term work, in lieu of perpetual subsidies?

Do we want to manage our affairs or punt to the government?

Will values guide—or vanity collapse—our future?

Are we ready to have 60 to 70 percent of our wages (through taxes) go to sustaining our huge national debt?

Are we ready to give up our liberties and property rights?

Over the next several months, we will have the time and opportunity to ponder these questions. These questions—and the answers the candidates provide to us—inform and empower us to make the right decisions on November 8, 2016.

As we have heard so often, “The truth shall set us free.” These noble concepts of truth and freedom remain central to our upcoming choices on November 8.

Some 240 years ago, our ancestors fought for the simple right to be free from tyranny, taxation, and non-temperance—in the pursuit of happiness.

Will future generations ask in hindsight, “For whom does the bell toll?”